Chisago County, Minnesota
Chisago County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 53,887. Its county seat is Center City . History Chisago County is, like many other counties in Minnesota, strongly influenced by the Swedish immigrants that settled there in the middle of the 19th century. It was here Vilhelm Moberg made his research for his The Emigrants suite in the 1950s. Sculptor Ian Dudley's bronze statue of the author, holding his bicycle as if ready to ride away, stands on a stepped platform in Chisago City’s town park. His fictional characters Karl-Oskar and Kristina Nilsson from Ljuder parish in Småland settled around the Lake Ki-Chi-Saga (from the Ojibwe language Ki-chi-saga-igun (Gichi-zaaga'igan in the contemporary spelling) meaning "Big Lake-with-an-outlet," which was later shortened to Lake Chisago). The heritage of the early settlers is still honored by the annual Karl Oskar Days in Lindstrom. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 94.38%) is land and (or 5.62%) is water. Major highways Adjacent counties *Pine County, Minnesota (north) *Burnett County, Wisconsin (northeast) *Polk County, Wisconsin (east) *Washington County, Minnesota (south) *Anoka County, Minnesota (southwest) *Isanti County, Minnesota (west) *Kanabec County, Minnesota (northwest) National protected area *Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part) Demographics data.]] As of the census of 2000, there were 41,101 people, 14,454 households, and 11,086 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile (38/km²). There were 15,533 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.21% White, 0.51% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.3% were of German, 18.1% Swedish, 11.3% Norwegian and 6.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 14,454 households out of which 41.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.50% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.30% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.18. In the county the population was spread out with 30.20% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 32.20% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $52,012, and the median income for a family was $57,335. Males had a median income of $40,743 versus $27,653 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,013. About 3.20% of families and 5.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.40% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Schools *Chisago Lakes High School Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Center City have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in June. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Chisago County, Minnesota References External links *Chisago County government's website *Chisago County Historical Society website *Minnesota DOT Highway map of Chisago County Category:Chisago County, Minnesota Category:Minneapolis–Saint Paul Category:Counties of Minnesota